This invention relates to an installing structure of a wire harness on a link, in which the wire harness is installed along the link for opening and closing an automotive roof or the like.
FIGS. 10 and 11 show one form of automotive roof storage structure employing a conventional link mechanism (see Patent Literature 1).
This roof storage structure includes a pair of front and rear pivotal links 52 and 53 pivotally connected to a vehicle body 51, an intermediate upper fixing link 55 connected to the front pivotal link 52, a front upper fixing link 54 connected to the rear pivotal link 53, a soft-top roof 56 fixed to the front upper fixing link 54.
In a completely-closed condition (not shown) of the roof 56, the front upper fixing link 54 and the intermediate upper fixing link 55 are arranged on a horizontal straight line, and the pair of front and rear pivotal links 52 and 53 are positioned generally upright. The pivotal links 52 and 53 are pivotally moved rearwardly from this condition (FIG. 11 shows a half-open condition of the roof), so that the fixing links 54 and 55 are superposed in a vertically-stepped manner, and in a stored condition (the open condition of FIG. 11) of the roof 56, the pivotal links 52 and 53 are positioned generally horizontally, and the fixing links 54 and 55 are disposed on the upper side of the pivotal links 52 and 53 in a folded manner.
Although a drive unit for the above link mechanism is not described, a structure (not shown) in which a link is driven by a motor and a pinion is described, for example, in Patent Literature 2.
Also, a structure for opening and closing not an automotive roof but an automotive door by a link mechanism is described, for example, in Patent Literature 3. In this structure (not shown), the door is swingably connected to a vehicle body by a flexible link arm, and a pair of front and rear horizontal parallel links are provided between the door and the vehicle body.
A wire harness is installed on and fixed to one link, and one side portion of the wire harness is installed along a flexible caterpillar-like exterior member on the door, while the other side portion of the wire harness is installed on the vehicle body (power source-side). Electric power is always or continuously supplied to auxiliary equipments on the door via the wire harness.
There is a fear that rainwater and the like get on the wire harness when the door is opened, and Patent Literature 4 discloses a structure (not shown) in which water intruding between wires of the wire harness is discharged to the exterior via a plurality of holes formed in a lower end of a waterproof resin tube provided on the outer periphery of the wire harness.
[Patent Literature 1] JP-A-2000-108674 (FIGS. 1 to 5)
[Patent Literature 2] JP-A-2003-252061 (FIG. 1)
[Patent Literature 3] JP-A-10-175483 (FIGS. 5 and 9)
[Patent Literature 4] JP-A-6-276643 (FIG. 2)
In the roof storage structures of the above Patent Literatures 1 and 2, a harness installation structure for the purpose of continuously supplying electric power to the roof is not described. However, generally, an auxiliary equipment such as a room lamp is mounted on a vehicle roof, and it is necessary to continuously supply electric power to the auxiliary equipment on the stowable (convertible) roof, and the harness installation structure for this purpose has been indispensable.
However, in the case where a wire harness is installed on a link, tension and a bending force act on the wire harness installed along the link in accordance with a pivotal movement of the link at the time of opening and closing the roof, and looseness (surplus length) develops in the wire harness. Therefore, it has been desired to smoothly absorb such a surplus length easily and positively at low costs. It has also been necessary to take measures to deal with the situation in which rainwater or the like intrudes into the wire harness installed along the link when the roof is opened and closed.
For example, in case the wire harness installed along the link is fixed to the link by clips, a pulling force and a bending force directly act on the wire harness, so that the durability of the wire harness is extremely lowered. However, if the wire harness is softly supported at a plurality of bent portions thereof, the cost of support members is high, and also much time and labor are required for the assembling operation, and furthermore there are fears that the wire harness may become loose between the support members and that damage and a shortened lifetime resulting from this looseness may be encountered. Furthermore, when rainwater or the like intruding into the wire harness is left as it is, there are fears that incomplete contact of a connector and a malfunction of the auxiliary equipment resulting therefrom may be encountered.
These problems are not limited to the roof, but can be encountered also with other structures in which a door or other movable structural body is connected to a fixed structural body such as a vehicle body by links.